


Dear Dad

by Watashi_wa_Okami



Series: Oneshots no one asked for [1]
Category: Gintama
Genre: But not really Umibozu, Dadtoki, Dadtoki for the win, Gen, Gintoki thinks he's slick too, Kagura is still a kid, Kagura thinks she's slick, They're all dumb and lovable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-12-15 19:47:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21023471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Watashi_wa_Okami/pseuds/Watashi_wa_Okami
Summary: Where Kagura figures out about the letters to her father that Gintoki secretly held on to.





	Dear Dad

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to write something for Gintoki's birthday, but I suppose this will do.

Kagura thinks she’s great at keeping secrets. After all, they have no idea about her family. So when she wakes up late and nabs a piece of paper Gintoki probably forgot he even had, she believes no one knows. Although she had to ask Shinpachi how mailing letters works, he didn’t seem to understand why she may have asked such a thing.

One day, when she falls asleep on the couch rather than in her bed (she blames Gintoki for her laziness,) she hears the rustling of a person at the crack of dawn. The room is still dark and she wakes up to see the familiar mop of white hair. He tries to be quiet, that much she can easily tell, but she isn’t sure if he has spotted her. Sadaharu pops his head up and gives a small noise at his arrival.

She keeps an eye open as Gintoki grabs some food for Sadaharu and scratches the large dog behind his fluffy ear. She wants to accuse the man of being replaced because he doesn’t do that, she’s the only one who gives Sadaharu that kind of love! How dare Gin-chan!

But instead, in her tired state, she just watches. And Sadaharu gives Gintoki ample access and wags his tail in happiness, not nearly as confused as herself. He doesn't even _try_ to bite the samurai's hand. Gintoki then gives one last pat and stands up. Sadaharu gives a soft noise before delving into the bowl of food Gintoki had given him.

He then heads to the door and slowly opens it, and she isn’t sure he even put his shoes on. Kagura freezes at his absence, not sure if she should hide or go back to bed or go after him or -

And he’s back. Was hardly gone, so she just freezes as the door slides open and closed once more. Sadaharu raises his head in recognition before nudging the now empty bowl towards the samurai.

“You get that from Kagura,” He says softly as he grabs the bowl, and again Kagura isn’t sure if she should attack him or just sleep. But the moment again just passes and she finds herself doing nothing. She's too curious and tired to interrupt. But then, as he picks up the bowl, she hears the rustling of papers that she hadn’t noticed before. Gintoki then gives a deep sigh and looks at the dog for a moment. “Oi, you still gonna turn down sniffing that bastard out?” Sadaharu gives another soft noise in response and tilts his head at the man. “Really, someone ought to teach her that letters don’t magically get to where they’re going.” He shakes his head and puts the bowl in the sink before going back into his room. As soon as the door closes, Kagura sits up and looks to the room, her eyes wide.

_ What? _

Later that day, when Gintoki says something about getting free dango, Kagura practically kicks him out the door because she knows _ who’s _gonna pay for the food.

“How dare you associate with that SADIST!” She shouts and Gintoki groans but takes his chance to leave.

“Kagura! Stop!” Shinpachi halfheartedly calls after the disruptive duo before giving up and heading to the sink. “Mah, he never does the dishes...” Kagura just ignores the pair of glasses and hops towards Gintoki’s room before almost breaking the door in the ferocity that she throws it open. Shinpachi jumps as the door rattles and both him and Sadaharu head towards the now open door. Kagura stomps around the room and starts tearing it apart, throwing around his pillows and blankets before gaining a glint in her eye and looking towards the closet. “What are you doing!?”

“Gin-chan is hiding something!” She growls and slams his closet door open. Shinpachi races in the room after her and cleans the mess in her wake (although some of that mess includes what Gintoki hadn't cleaned up himself.) It doesn’t take her long, and only one of Gintoki’s outfits is thrown out before she finds a light box. She pulls it to the middle of the floor and just stares at it. Shinpachi then sits across from her and looks at the odd box.

“What’s he hiding?” Kagura doesn’t answer before being oddly delicate in opening the worn box. Inside, there are multiple letters and envelopes of different colors. She pulls one out and rips it open. “Kagura!” Shinpachi shouts in shock but when she opens the letter he immediately spots her rather awful handwriting. Shinpachi eyes Kagura as she sifts through the papers, eyes shining and she sniffles lightly at the sight. She throws them around the whole room, the different colors floating to the floor. As she gets more frantic, they come faster and faster, so many letters that the box seems never ending. She hardly stops to read them anymore, more focused on seeing how many there are.

Shinpachi just watches, not really understanding what’s happening but leaving it alone. He’ll clean it up when she’s done with... whatever this is.

She reaches for the last letter, fingertips trembling as they ghost along the paper. The letter is on yellowing paper though it was once white, Kagura remembers it well. She ignores her shake as she carefully opens the envelope. Shinpachi watches her and decides to leave her be, although he conflicts with himself for a moment before opting to leave the mess of papers and wash the dishes instead.

She opens the letter, and the tears that form in her eyes don’t distort the words on the letter so much that she can’t read them.

_ Dear Papi, _

_ I don’t know if I forgive you for leaving. But I’ve found someone. And Gin-chan feeds me. And there’s no sick Mami, so he won’t leave me because of her. And Gin-chan is too stupid and Shinpachi is too kind, and they’re nothing like what I had at the planet that always rains. _

_ But, Papi, I do still miss you. Nii-san went crazy and Mami’s gone, I don’t want to lose you too. I think I haven’t lost you yet. I want to get strong enough to travel with you. But Gin-chan’s taught me to want to get strong enough to protect. I think I can learn a lot from him, yes. I think I can learn to be more than a Yato. _

_ And maybe then I’ll teach you and Nii-san too! _

_ Love, Kagura _

“Gin-chan...” None of them are sure if she’s happy or angry. She sniffles and sluggishly cleans up the papers, carefully placing them in the box. She realizes that they’re all unopened (other than what she had just torn through,) and she knows that Gintoki, the most disrespectful person in all Edo, wanted to respect her privacy. She’s nearly blind when she puts the last letter in, tears clouding her eyes.

He had kept the letters. Every single one. From the first day, he had held onto them. For what purpose, she isn’t sure but knowing Gin-chan, it’s stupid.

When she comes out of the now clean room, Kagura is oddly silent and in an almost depressed motion, she plops herself on a couch. She eyes the tv as if willing it to turn on, but then she just gives a heavy sigh and doesn't move, only sinks deeper into the couch. Sadaharu plops his heavy - _grounding_ \- head in her lap as Shinpachi places some tea on the table and sits.

“Kagura-chan?”

“What do you need to mail letters?” She peeks up at Shinpachi and he just looks at her for a moment before sipping at his own tea.

“Uh, the address.”

“Which address?”

“Both - where it’s coming from and where it’s headed.” Apparently, that’s the answer she needed and didn’t want as she drops her head in disappointment. “Why?”

“I wrote letters to Papi,” She admits with a sigh and Shinpachi vaguely remembers an old conversation about letters. And while he has never heard of this 'Papi' before, he doesn't ask. “And I guess Gin-chan is… holding onto them?” Her gaze drifts to the doors leading to the room and Shinpachi sets down the forgotten tea. “Stupid Gin-chan...” She grumbles but she feels her emotions go straight to her eyes. “Stupid, stupid...” Shinpachi isn’t sure how to comfort her, so he’s just there for her. Both him and Sadaharu work on helping her through whatever she needs to work out. And for that, she is thankful.

Later, when Umibozu meets Gintoki, she doesn’t see the anger in the samurai's eyes. She just feels the abandonment as she realizes that she still has so much more to learn from him. And even later, when Gintoki and Umibozu come to the oddly silent agreement that Kagura will stay on Earth, Gintoki hands the man the letters that are now neatly wrapped together.

She realizes he must have done that after he met the man, knowing full well that the box wouldn’t get any more letters.

“Give her your address, baldy.” He states blandly as Umibozu sifts through the letters. “I had to hold onto those for ya. My closet’s only so big!” The older man looks from the letters to the samurai and gives a dry chuckle.

“Eh? Did you read some of her letters?”

“What do you take me for? It’s not some diary. Sheesh.” With one look, Umibozu knows the samurai didn’t rip open any of the letters, and at that he smiles.

All the while, Kagura cries. Because, really, Gin-chan is too good. Holding on and waiting, and he would have waited for as long as necessary until he could pass on those letters. However many letters there may have been.

So she decides she doesn’t need to write baldy any more letters. And if baldy wants an update, he can visit her new home and ask her.

Through her tears, Kagura can’t help but smile. Because that is what Gintoki gave her, yes? A return address, where, no matter what, she’ll return to.

The next week, Gintoki checks the mail and finds a letter, scrawled on it is Kagura’s messy handwriting that he can't read in the darkness. He had thought she stopped writing, but with a sigh he takes the letter to his room and pulls out the worn box. But just as he opens the box he takes a closer look at the letter.

_ Gin-chan_.

He pauses for a moment before smiling. _ That brat_. But of course he opens the letter.

_ Dear Stupid Gin-chan, _

_ You’re stuck with me, you hear? You’re my Earth Dad now, so take full responsibility! I want breakfast every morning, and lunch, and dinner, and sukonbu every day, ya hear! Stupid Gin-chan better not pull a stunt like that again, or I’ll throw you to where ever Papi is. _

She doesn’t sign it and Gintoki doesn’t need her to. He isn’t sure when she figured out he was hiding those letters, he thought he did a good job at it, but oh well. With a smile, he puts the letter back in the envelope and delicately places it at the bottom of the box before pushing it to the back of his closet.


End file.
